Hey guys I need some advice on Stripping. We have had Westies before, but have never stripped their coat always gotten it clipped by the groomers, now do you guys think I should strip Teagans coat. I have been doing research and It says I should be doing it around 4 months old, which wont be hard to do because she is loosing her puppy coat already and if I just pull it comes out really easy.

Now what do you guys think?
Should I strip her coat or just get her clipped by the groomer?

Hand stripping takes a fair about of effort.. but its not difficult. I does look better IMO than shaving. I strip Dekka and Snip, but have Kaiden clipped. It depends on how much you care about have a crisp wiry terrier coat.

lol i was so confused by this thread title til I noticed it was in the grooming forum

as for stripping, I saw it on Groomer has it. some use a special comb, some do it by hand. it looked like A LOT of hard work

From a westie website:
For a pet, this is strictly a matter of preference. Stripping is done on show dogs and can be done on pet dogs, but is not necessary. Stripping will make the coat harder and coarser. Clippering will tend to make the coat softer and on many dogs, wavy. Many pet people clip because it is convenient. Unless you strongly prefer the look of a stripped coat, you are likely to clip or have your dog clipped. You can accomplish a very nice "Westie" look on a clipped dog if you or your groomer know what a Westie should look like and have the information on how to accomplish this look. If you take your Westie to a professional groomer be sure he knows how to groom a Westie and be sure to ask him to sterilize his tools before grooming! Clippering is easier, takes less time, and will soften the harsh terrier coat. You can change your mind and let your dog grow out a bit and then handstrip to get the natural harshness back. It does take several months to accomplish this!

We clippered our Down South Westies for years until we discovered the Mars Coat King. You can keep a Westie's coat without extreme cuts by using a Mars Coat King, thinning shears, and scissiors.

We use the coat king daily. Rake the tool over every part of the body, including the face and beard. The tool is only pulling dead hair and does not hurt your dog. Just be sure to pull the tool in the direction the hair grows naturally. Since we have clippers, we clipper the top third of the ears on the outside and completely clipper the ears on the inside. Then we take scissors and trim the ears, being sure not to cut the leather and hurt the dog. Use hemostats to pull the hair from the ear canal. This does not hurt your dog. Scissors will also be used to trim the hair between the eyes and nose, paw pads, and shape the legs. Thinning shears are used to shape the face and legs. Then scissor the stray hairs to clean up and shape. When blow drying, brush the leg hair upwards and blow dry upwards so that the hair becomes poofy. This makes the legs look fuller when dry. Always use low heat (fan only in summer) to keep from drying the skin. It takes longer to dry, but you will be glad you did. Blow dry the beard outward to accomplish the same effect. It allows the face to look a little poofy and you can then scissor stray hairs and shape.

I've always thought that hand stripped dogs look nicer than clipped ones... but I know it's a lot more effort.

I've also heard for wire coat breeds it's much better for their coat to have it hand stripped.

I guess it all comes down to how much you care about looks and how much energy you're willing to invest in the coat. Maybe you can start out hand stripping... and if it doesn't work out go with clipping?

so that's my two cents....

on a side note... I definatly did not think about hand stripping a dog's coat when reading the title to this thread. *hides*

I love the look of stripped VS clipped, especially when groomers confirm that and make them look like Scotties or Schnauzers Also a believer it is healthier for the coat/skin.

Does your breeder not show? If s/he does, s/he must have some sort of an idea, have you asked? If you get in touch with your regional Westie club, I'm sure someone would be willing to help you learn (or if there is a handler nearby).

So as to repeat everyone else, just a matter of preference and what works for your dog.